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TS Tech Co., Ltd., a leader in automotive seating and interior trim, successfully implemented QAD Freedom at their North American facilities in September 2013. This project streamlined various processes across plants in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and Hidalgo to enhance inventory control and production efficiency. The implementation utilized real-time scanning for accurate data management and traceability, significantly improving operational effectiveness while addressing critical inventory and data integrity issues. The successful go-live showcased the benefits of automation in manufacturing.
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Freedom & QAD Implementation at TST NA Trim MWUG – September 2013
TS Tech Global Locations Company Background Name: TS TECH CO.,LTD. Founded: December 5, 1960 Headquarters: Saitama, Japan President: Michio Inoue Employees: approx. 15,000 Main Business: automotive seating, interior trim Worldwide Locations
TS Tech Group Companies Using QAD *Sites using Freedom ErrorProof
QAD Footprint at TS Tech in North America Newmarket, ON Reynoldsburg, OH (2) New Castle, IN* Athens, OH Boaz, AL Nuevo Laredo, Mexico* Hidalgo, TX* Irapuato, Mexico
TST NA Trim Company Profile Nuevo Laredo Plant • Established: March, 1986 • Plant Manager: Francisco Lopez • Plant Size: 17,915m2 • Products: Seat covers for Hondaand Acura Hidalgo Plant • Established: April, 2012 • President: Hiroshi Kitamura • Plant Size: 12,449m2 • Products: Laminated fabric and UL for Honda, Acura, and Mazda
Business Case for QAD at Hidalgo • Simple process • 3 components per BOM (vs. 10-20+) • 1 step process (vs. 3 steps) • Straight line (no WIP) • No system interface (e.g. production monitoring) • No KD lot numbers • Young operation • Low transaction volume • Small number of associates • Bad habits not established • Small scale • 11 suppliers • 62 RM parts • 126 FG parts Need to implement quickly -- less than 6-month window
Background of Lamination Production Differing Lengths… Foam • What is flame lamination? • Three-layers (face, foam, backing) • Semi-continuous process • High product quality expectations • Incoming quality inspection • Measure net roll length • Check for spots or runs • Outgoing quality inspection • Measure final length of material • Re-check for spots, runs, de-lamination Face Backing Not to scale
Hidalgo Plant Layout Trailer Yard Shipping & Receiving Office Shipping Area Receiving Inspection 2nd Foam Staging Area FG Inventory Racks Raw Material Racks N Offices Production Area Main Entrance
Shop Floor Operations Production Process Raw Material Racks Foam Roll Storage Finished Goods Racks
Problem Statement • No perpetual inventory • All record-keeping performed in MS Excel • Not scalable • Lack of data entry validation • Data integrity concerns • Time-consuming financial closing process due to manual record-keeping • Time-consuming physical inventory process • Difficult to consolidate financials at corporate level
A Powerful Tool… Excavator Shovel (damaged fiber-optic conduit)
Special Considerations • RM serialized by vendor • Not license plate; no guarantee of uniqueness • FG labels generated by internal QA inspection system (SQL database) • FG quantity varies based on inspection result • Deductions for quality defects • For shipping, actual length of rolls does not necessarily match the order quantity • Order quantity must be met, but slight overshipment allowed (max. one roll per item) • 24-hour aging period after inspection
Why Freedom? • Ensure accurate inventory control through real-time scanning • Efficient scanning by label serial • Faster tag inventory • Serialized traceability of material • Ensure accuracy of business processes • Receiving: validation against ASN • Shipping: picklist control; backflush validation • Integration into final quality inspection system • Potential for future introduction of full traceability system • History of successful inventory control at Nuevo Laredo plant
Implementation Timeline First Physical Go-Live!!! *Freedom on-site for 2 weeks, then remote support Project completed on-schedule and within budget
Design of Processes • Step 1: Document current process state • Step 2: Identify risks and controls • Step 3: Apply best practices to future process (re-engineering) • Step 4: Review and obtain buy-in
QAD Environment • QAD Version: 2011 SE, Automotive Bundle • Progress Version: 10.2B • OS: Linux Red Hat ver. 5.8 • Freedom Version: 7.70 • Server (QAD): VM Ware (remote, in Reynoldsburg) • Server (Freedom): VM Ware (remote, in Reynoldsburg) • Other QAD Partners at Location: • Report Writing: Cyberquery ver. 3.50 • Uploading of PO Shippers, Customer Schedules: SIG Connect ver. 4.1A • EDI: Gentran 4.0.02 • Repetitive scheduling (not discrete work orders)
Processes Using ErrorProof • ASN receipts • Transfer by label serial (license plate or reprint) Receiving • Tag inventory • 100% scanning • Transfer by serial • WIP transfer • Relabeling Cycle Count Location Transfer • Count by label serial Physical Inventory Backflush Shipping • Interface w/QA inspection system • Picklist print • FIFO lookup Scrap • Unplanned issue
Freedom Application Details • ErrorProof Small Site License (max. 10 users) • Installed on virtual server, hosted at Ohio data center • Labels print to wired and wireless printers • Telnet sessions on handheld scanners (7 scanners) • Desktop application for generating picklist • Administrator application on Windows • Daily reports (even Production Manager) • Inventory tag printing
Challenges and Lessons Learned • Modifications needed to in-house developed final inspection database • Duplicated serial numbers, no indexes in tables • Supply base not 100% controlled by company • Difficult to convert suppliers to required label format (license plate) • Over 50% of suppliers not EDI-capable (or willing) • Only 1 in 4 customers using ERP/EDI • Customer requirements must be hand-keyed • Success factors: • Thorough review of current and future processes • Daily wrap-up meetings • Production management heavily involved and using reporting tools • Accumulated experience of implementing Freedom and QAD at other trim facility
Inventory Variances After Launch 99.8% accuracy!!! Nuevo Laredo Hidalgo